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Anthropometry and Dengue Fever in Coastal Ecuador
Author(s) -
Tedesco Julia M.,
Mehta Saurabh,
BeltránAyala Efraín,
Cárdenas Washington B.,
Endy Timothy P.,
Ryan Sadie J.,
Stewart Ibarra Anna M.,
Finkelstein Julia L.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.1149.19
Subject(s) - dengue fever , medicine , underweight , body mass index , anthropometry , waist , overweight , overnutrition , malnutrition , circumference , pediatrics , immunology , geometry , mathematics
Objective This study was conducted to examine the burden of malnutrition – both undernutrition or overnutrition – and its associations with dengue fever, as part of a prospective study of dengue transmission conducted in Machala, Ecuador. Methods Individuals presenting with suspected dengue fever at four sentinel clinics and the central hospital of the Ministry of Health were recruited into the study. Index cases with acute dengue infection triggered an investigation of dengue cases in the index household and four neighboring households. Dengue fever was diagnosed via RT‐qPCR (n=72); cases were sex‐ and age‐matched to controls (n=72), individuals who tested negative for dengue fever (i.e., negative for RT‐qPCR, NS1, IgG, and IgM). Anthropometric measurements, including height, weight, mid‐upper arm circumference, and waist circumference were collected using standardized procedures. World Health Organization z‐scores were calculated, and conventional cut‐offs were used to categorize variables. Results Median body mass index (BMI) was 23.6 kg/m 2 (IQR: 20.6–29.3) in cases and 23.8 kg/m 2 (IQR: 19.7–28.5) in controls. The prevalence of underweight was low in cases and controls (BMI<18.5 kg/m 2 ; cases: 0.7%, controls: 2.1%; p>0.05); however, approximately 20% of individuals were overweight or obese (BMI≥ 25 kg/m 2 ; cases: 18.1%, controls: 19.4%; p>0.05). Mid‐upper arm circumference (median (IQR); cases: 28.0 (25.0–30.7) vs. controls: 27.6 (24.3–31.0) cm; p>0.05) and waist circumference (median (IQR); cases: 82.8 (69.5–92.8) vs. controls: 84.5 (71.1–94.8) cm; p>0.05) were similar in dengue cases and controls. The prevalence of high waist circumference was not statistically different in cases compared to controls (men: >94 cm, women: >80 cm; cases: 16.7% vs. controls: 18.8%; p>0.05 | men: >102 cm, women: >88 cm; cases: 5.6% vs. 11.1% p=0.07). Conclusion The prevalence of overweight, obesity, and increased weight circumference was relatively high in this setting, in both dengue cases and controls. The implications of overnutrition for the immune response and clinical outcomes for infectious diseases in this population needs to be assessed prospectively in future studies. Support or Funding Information Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University; Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response